SEO vs Social Media: Which Will Benefit Your Business Better?

You’ve hit a bit of a conundrum: do you use SEO or social media to generate traffic to your website? You’re raring to get your message across, but which approach will be the most beneficial for your business?

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The Power of Social Media

Almost everyone is on social media. Even your grandma has a Facebook account so she can post photos of her pet cat. 

Social media has taken the world by storm since the early 2000s when the world of MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook made it possible for people to connect, communicate, and show off their food and latest travel exploits. Social media has grown exponentially since then, and how it is a platform which online businesses such as yourself can utilise for your advantage. 

Naturally, thinking that social media is the best choice to promote your content would make sense; after all, you can easily communicate with consumers in real-time, post bit content any time of the day, and still generate traffic. All this sounds exciting, but it bears asking yourself the question:

Is it turning into revenue though?

The number of likes a post gets, or the number of followers you have are not indicators of a thriving online business. It looks stunning on screen, yes, but never will you ever hear an entrepreneur claim that a thousand likes paid for this month’s expenses. 

While social media can certainly entice would-be clients to visit your page, there are drawbacks to purely relying on social media to market a service or product you are peddling. 

Is SEO Irrelevant?

Short answer: no.

Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO as we know it, started off as a way for Google to whisk through more than a billion websites and give you the best results based on the keywords you typed in its search tab. Nowadays, SEO has become more sophisticated and has leveled up from simply looking into keywords to focusing on high-quality content, so to speak. 

SEO may not pack the same punch as it did years ago, but it doesn’t make it irrelevant by all means. It is simply an indicator that the playing field is changing and here’s a news flash: so should you. 

The Battle Between SEO and Social Media

One of the main differences between SEO and social media is how people use such platforms. Their intent for favouring one over the other is a factor you should consider looking into.

According to SearchEngineJournal.com : 

Google: “When users search on Google they have a specific intent in mind, which often boils down to knowing, going, or doing. Each one of these intents is a type of question that requires a specific answer.” 

Facebook: “People on Facebook use the social network with varying intent. They do not go to Facebook to answer a question, get directions, or perform an action. According to a recent study, the number one reason users are on Facebook is to be entertained (number two is to kill time). They are browsing around looking for entertaining, interesting, or engaging pieces of content. If you are trying to sell to users whose intent is to browse and be entertained and engaged, they are not going to buy.”

In simpler terms, people go on Google when they have a specific topic, item, or service in mind. As for social media sites like Facebook, people spend time on such sites when they want to be entertained, or want to engage with other people. 

When you know what each platform is for, you have a clearer idea of how to use it to your advantage. 

In terms of how you should use it, both require your time and commitment. You can’t be creating content one day and then leave it at that. Staying relevant in this digital age takes much more than that. 

With that being said, how Google and Facebook works should give you an indication of how your marketing strategy should be played out on each platform.

Facebook’s news feed works in real-time; you post, it pops up in your followers’ feeds, making impressions. Stop posting and you’re lost. It’s a matter of knowing when your followers are the most active so you can be seen. 

As for Google and other search engines, it’s a matter of keeping up to date. You have the advantage of generating traffic over time, though this only works when you are committed to staying in the thick of things. As long as your content is in tune with the current times, visitors will continue visiting your site. 

The Better Choice

Surprise! There is no better choice. 

Looking into whether spending time and money on just one over the other would be foolhardy. You’ve just eliminated another way to engage with potential clients. 

Once you see that social media and SEO are simply tools to get your A-game going, you’re bound to be able to utilise both in such a way that you can get your message across, connect with consumers, and eventually bring in revenue. 

We spoke to Byron from Pixelrush, he said:

“Organic social posting is more about brand awareness and being remembered when a potential client decides to opt-in or buy. Paid Social is becoming increasingly popular and requires less of the day to day burden on content creation for posts and status updates.

“Stable and thriving businesses often have 3 channels or more working and generating leads for their businesses and therefore it’s less about choosing one and more about choosing a number of channels to target to create a consistent and predictable sales strategy.

“Profitability is always the key to sustaining any strategy. When you can spend a $1 and see $4 come back you continue to invest, grow, and scale.”

Sounds pretty neat, and it is! The internet is a plethora of tools and information; use it wisely and you’ll start reaping the benefits. Test how one method works, then move on to the next. The sky’s the limit, frankly speaking, and you’re only limited by your imagination. It all boils down to what works for you and your business so you can accurately gauge how one strategy can turn those clicks into cash. 

Author’s Bio: Byron Trzeciak is the founder of a performance digital marketing agency called Pixelrush. His strategies have helped businesses take and convert it up to in return. When he’s not implementing and tuning campaigns, he’s passionate about writing and helping others to do the same.

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